Earthquake Hits Costa Rica

(SAN JOSE, Costa Rica) — The magnitude 6.0 quake was felt in most parts of the country and temporarily interrupted cellphone coverage in many areas. The epicenter was located in Santiago de Puriscal in the Central

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake rattled the country afternoon at 4:50 p.m. and lasted for 15 to 20 seconds. According to the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Oviscori), based at the National University (UNA) in Heredia, north of San José, the epicenter of the quake was located six kilometers north of Santiago de Puriscal, a mountain town about 45 km southwest of the capital.

According to the Costa Rican Red Cross, no deaths have been reported. The quake was felt in most parts of the nation, and minor damage and injuries have been reported in communities around the country. Freddy Román, a spokesman for the Red Cross, told The Tico Times that several small landslides had occurred in various parts of the country, though no causalities had been reported.

Cellphone coverage was also temporarily interrupted in many areas of the country. After the earthquake subsided, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute, the country's state-run telecom monopoly, was inundated with more than 100,000 phones calls, according to reports. The inundation of phone calls caused the cellular network to collapse.